Salt and Pepper Family
by ryuunorenkinjutsushi
Summary: A little lost Pride is not so lost anymore. Zoofic, later RoyEd


The little kit could smell whatever it was that was out there, as he crouched in the bushes, quivering. His mother and father were gone... and they'd left him behind, but he didn't know why. He'd waited and waited, curled up and looking like a red-striped ball, in the nook of tree roots that his mother had told him to stay in- he murmured a pitiful hiccup-cry, tiny voice almost lost in the big forest. 

A shadow crept over his hiding place, burying it in pitch-black, and the little Pride stared, wide-eyed and unmoving, at the big thing before him, its gold eyes glinting fiercely. He began to shake uncontrollably, now that he knew his fate. His momma had told him about ones like these; he was going to be eaten. He cried loudly, simply out of fear, and stumbled over his kit-feet and trembling muscles.

The shadow crouched lower, revealing a long, blonde and unkempt mane that surrounded its eyes, and a well-muscled and fit body, ears perked forward and tail swishing slightly in confusion. It planted its feet on either side of the Pride's nook, lifting him out by the scruff of his neck and plopping him unceremoniously on the ground. A warm whuff of breath later, it picked the Pride up again and set off, back to its cave.

* * *

He tumbled to the ground once more, this time inside the mouth of a cave overlooking a large bit of forest, and he was up and stumbling backward, away from the big golden thing again. That is, until he reached the cave wall. He opened his mouth and whined pitifully. 

'Momma, Daddy... help... Please don't eat me...'

The gold thing lazily flicked its tail, advancing and batting at the kit gently. 'Calm down. I don't eat my own kind.'

The Pride gulped. 'But- but I don't know you... you don't smell like-'

'Just because I smell weird doesn't mean anything.' The Edward, for that was what it was, leaned down and nudged at the kit, snuffling. 'You don't seem hurt. Stop crying.'

'B- But Momma and Daddy, they-'

'Are gone. At least, from what I smelled.' He flopped down next to the kit and stretched luxuriously, resting his head on his forelegs.

'They- they promised they'd come back... they said for me to wait...' the Pride mewled, trying to convince not only the Edward, but himself.

'And how long have you been waiting?'

'I-it was dark... Momma said to stay... Momma and Daddy said something was coming- they... didn't want me to get hurt-'

Raising his head, the Edward looked at his little charge and frowned. He sighed and pawed at the Pride's ear before turning his gaze to the cave entrance, where it had begun to get cold, and the rain was getting worse. The kit flinched away, curling up tightly.

'W-Wanna go home...'

The Edward turned over again, resting on his side and reaching out to drag the kitten close to his chest. 'I'll help you look tomorrow. Go to sleep.'

Still unused to the new smell of the adult Edward, the kit shivered. He mewled sadly, but the warmth of the stranger was better than the cold of outside, and he finally snuggled closer, tiredly closing his eyes. The Edward kept still for the kit all night, watching as the thunder passed, and the rain slowly ceased in the wee hours of the morning, clearing away just in time to give a rainbow to a glorious sunrise.

He would hunt before the kit awoke, Edward decided, and got up, stretching as he padded toward the new day, looking back one time before loping into the trees. Game in his territory was plentiful, as he liked to keep to himself, and it was in no time that he had caught and killed a rabbit, carrying it limply back.

As he returned, the Pride was just waking up. Stretching and blinking, he immediately jumped up and backtracked until he tripped over his own kit-feet and tumbled backward with a surprised chirrup. Edward rolled his eyes and snorted, righting the kit and flopping down to rip up the rabbit. He took a piece of the meat in his mouth, and offered it to the Pride, who gnawed at it, not getting much of anywhere with his little kit teeth. It took him a bit, but he eventually got it down to where he could swallow it.

Edward watched as he struggled and yanked off another piece of meat, chewing it himself. When the kit was done, he nudged it gently. 'Open your mouth.'

Pride was hesitant, but he did open his mouth, and the Edward pressed their mouths together, transferring the softened meat. It was... strange, being fed by this one, but the Pride did so obligingly, understanding. He had been sick once, and Momma had to feed him small bites, so his tummy would behave.

Edward took another bite in his mouth and chewed it, waiting. Pride opened his mouth quicker this time, and took the bite. When he was finished, he pawed at the Edward's face softly. '...Momma said ones like you are bad. That I shouldn't go close.'

'And you always listen to your mother.' Edward ate his fill of the rabbit, then took the leftovers out of the cave. When he came back, the Pride kit was concentrating much too hard on a spider that happened to be crawling by.

'Can- can we find... Momma? Momma only didn't want me to get lost... But now Momma's lost...'

'Sure. We can go look.'

The pair meandered their way through the forest, both scenting frequently and keeping a sharp eye out. They made it the quarter-mile to a stream that bisected Edward's territory, and he leaned down to get a drink.

Pride came close, testing the water and sticking his feet in; it was cold, making him shiver out of reflex, but he acclimatized quickly and splashed.

'Don't go too far. It gets deep quickly,' Edward warned.

The kitling mewled, watching the little fishes in the shallows further away, and wiggling his cold toes. Now that his fear had almost dissipated, he was taking in more of his surroundings. He hop-skipped back onto the bank when he couldn't feel his toes and shook himself again, spaying water everywhere and making the soft fur on his ears and tail poof out. He took a few deep breaths, then halted. Sniffing more carefully, he stood up as tall as he could. '...Momma? Momma!'

The kit's tail twitched, and he scampered into the underbrush, mewling for his mother.

The Edward watched him, and when he lost sight of the Pride, his ears drooped. He looked away, busying himself with getting clean. It was better for the kit to be with his mother. She should be the one to take care of her little one.

Suddenly, there was a scared, plaintative mewl from the direction that the little Pride had just run off in. Silence, then a moment later, another. It sounded hurt. Another cry followed, getting cut off halfway in a high-pitched squeak.

The Edward's tail lashed and his ears flattened. He sprang up and dashed into the bushes, pushing them aside. The kit was backed against a tree, crying, and another creature was advancing. It stopped and turned to hiss at Edward.

'Get away!' the Envy snarled. 'This scrap is mine!'


End file.
